Wait and See!

This past Saturday morning, I was lying in bed and glancing over various book titles on my bedside bookshelf.  I came across a book entitled The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward, first published in 1939.  I remembered the book being read to me as a child ~ back when I was first introduced to the Easter Bunny.  (I actually thought there were five!)  I leaned up on the side of the bed and pulled the book off the shelf to read it again.  After I finished the book, I reached up a second time to place it back on the shelf.  I tried to shelve the book near the spot where I had found it; however, the book would not go back into place.  After several attempts, I realized that another book was jammed in the same spot ~ hidden from view. So I quit being lazy and got completely out of bed to retrieve the hidden book and re-shelve the book I had just read.

And this is when you know that the universe is trying to get your attention...the book that was shoved in the back of the bookshelf was the same book ~ The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes!  I had no idea that I owned two copies of the same children's book with two different covers.  Even more random was the chance that I would shelve the same exact book in the same exact spot! Immediately, I knew that this children's book had something to teach me.

I began my search for that 'something' on the internet. I read hundreds (literally) of reviews for the book, and I also learned that it has never been out of print.  The book was illustrated by Marjorie Flack who heard it narrated by DuBose Heyward at the McDowell Writing Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire during the summer of 1938. Heyward had first told the bedtime story to his daughter Jenifer, and only one change was made to the original story.  Heyward's editor insisted that the country bunny have a husband, even though he never makes an appearance throughout the story.

The story begins with a bit of background information on those five bunnies who deliver Easter baskets between sunset on Easter Eve and dawn on Easter morning. They must be the five kindest, and swiftest, and wisest bunnies in the whole wide world. When one of the Easter Bunnies grows old and can no longer run fast, the old, wise, and kind Grandfather Bunny who lives at the Palace of Easter Eggs calls the bunnies together from the whole world to select the very best one to take the place.

Of course, every bunny wants to grow up to be an Easter bunny.  That's when the little brown-skinned country cottontail makes a grand declaration:  Some day I shall grow up to be an Easter bunny ~ you wait and see! 

She is snubbed by the rich white bunnies, and she is mocked by the athletic jack rabbits.  Many online book reviews call attention to Heyward's subtle treatment of social issues such as class, race, and gender; however, I had a more personal lesson to learn from this story.

 

I just love this illustration with her little arms folded and her nose in the air.  The Jack Rabbits tell her to go back to the country and eat a carrot. The story states that she had a husband, and then one day, much to her surprise there were twenty-one Cottontail babies to take care of.  She is ridiculed again by the great big men bunnies. Only a country rabbit would go and have all those babies.  

What child wouldn't love a book with all those baby bunnies right at Easter!  The story continues that Cottontail stops thinking about being an Easter bunny.  Instead, she trains her twenty-one bunnies to be helpful, happy, industrious, and well-mannered, which is quite evident by their appearance at the Easter Bunny try-outs.  Without re-telling the entire story, Cottontail is ultimately chosen by the Grandfather Bunny to be one of the five Easter bunnies!  After a long night of delivering eggs, she has to complete her final and most difficult delivery ~ a beautiful egg must be carried to the top of a snow and ice-covered mountain and given to a bedridden child.

  

As she nears the top of the mountain, she slips and tumbles all the way back down to the bottom.  She manages to protect the beautiful egg; however, she is hurt and unable to hop. 

 I just love this next excerpt:  She tried to rise again, because she saw a lovely pink light in the sky and she knew that in a few minutes more it would be day, and the little boy would be sad if she did not get his egg to him.  But the pain was so bad she fell down.  Then she felt something touch her shoulder, and she looked up, and there right before her, way off there in that distant land, was old, wise, kind Grandfather Bunny.

I absolutely relish that moment in the story!  Grandfather Bunny is holding a pair of little gold shoes behind his back.  He bends over and places the shoes on her feet, and suddenly the pain is gone!  She makes a single jump that sends her flying in the air, and she delivers the beautiful Easter egg to the sleeping child.

After her mission is complete, she heads back to her own home and finds everything in perfect order.  In the end, the little house of Mother Cottontail can always be told now from the homes of all other bunnies.  Because in a special place on the wall, on a very special hook, hangs a pair of very tiny little gold shoes.

WOW!  What a bedtime story!  I am so grateful for the serendipitous shelving incident that caused me to take a second look at this charming Easter book...but the tale doesn't end here!  Wait and see!

Dianne ; )

The Fine Art of the Flip-Flop

Yesterday I talked to an old friend about a part-time job at her library.  I had worked in the same position before we moved, so I felt comfortable speaking to her about the opening.  During our conversation, something seemed amiss.  At one point, she stated that she wanted to be sure the potential new-hire was going to stay for the long term.  Then she added, "To be truthful, I am just sick of all this flip-flopping and dealing with people who come and go at the drop of a hat.  I am ready to hire someone who is going to be here for awhile ~ at least until I retire."

SNAP.  I am THE PERSON who has perfected the fine art of flip-flopping.  I am the master of the u-turn.  When it comes to the back-flip, I am the pro. I realized immediately that she identified me as one of the flip-floppers, since I had worked at her library for only one year.  I felt a sharp sting, as though someone had popped me with a rubber band.  Of course, I tried to reassure her of my reliability and my plans to stay the course; however, I couldn't convince myself with my own words. Even the fill-in-the-blank application required an available start date and an answer as to how long I planned to work if hired.  Of course, I wrote Indefinite.  I am reliable ~ as reliable as ebb and flow, rise and fall, hem and haw.

Flip-floppers are not so different from other people.  At age twenty, I thought for sure that I knew what my life would look like at age fifty.  Like most people, I planned for a thirty-year mortgage and retirement.  I anticipated a straight path; I never bargained for flip-flops, or u-turns, or back-flips.  I simply expected to live in the same house, work the same job, and be married to the same person my whole life.  Most of my peers have been able to live out those expectations, according to their own definitions of Plan A; however, flip-floppers are more defined by Plans B through Z.

According to Wikipedia, many words have been used to describe the fine art of the flip-flop, especially when it comes to politics and politicians.  Elected officials as well as candidates have often been accused of flip-flopping when they have a sudden change of policy, position, or opinion.  In his "On Language" column for The New York Times, William Safire wrote that "flip-flop has a long history as a synonym for somersault."  He pointed out that "the doubling of a sound is also a feature in other two-word phrases used to disparage the actions or words of others, including mumbo-jumbo, wishy-washy, and higgledy-piggledy ~ that the double sound is an indication of ridicule."

He left out topsy-turvy!  I imagined the cutest little children's book with those two-word phrase combinations, and I may follow-up with a new TODAY'S BIG STORY in time for Easter, featuring the Flip-Flop Bunnies.  However, at the moment, I still felt that SNAP again ~ the pop of the rubber band!  Words like ridicule and disparage seem to swell the sting all the more. I continued my flip-flop research and read that the "U-turn" phrase was made popular by former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, who was quoted as saying, "You turn (U-turn) if you want to.  The lady's not turning."

Towards the end of the Wikipedia article, I read about the non-political use of the word flip-flop which is not quite as derogatory or contrary.  In science, a flip-flop is generally positive as it indicates new learnings and breakthroughs.  Lewis Eigen writes, "To the scientist, failure to flip-flop in the face of contradictory evidence is irrational and dangerous behavior.  And scientists will often flip-flop at almost light speed.  Often it takes only a single observation to flip-flop thousands of scientifically learned people."

Years ago I sent an email to another employee of the same library system.  I wrote a sentence to her that is highlighted at the top of my blog.  We always have to be open to every new adventure, even if it is disguised as choice, hardship, opportunity, or ultimatum. I joked that the statement was the Dianne McLaurin quote for the day; however, that one sentence has defined my life.  Sometimes people flip-flop because, in the face of contradictory evidence, failure to do so might be considered irrational or dangerous.  Maybe the flip-flop is a personal choice, but it might also be a personal hardship.  Perhaps the flip-flop is an overwhelming opportunity, but it could also be an overwhelming ultimatum.

I was a cheerleader throughout high school, and I know the tumbling skills required for the impressive back-handspring, which is actually called a flip-flop.  The motion requires body control, flexibility, and body awareness. Developing the fine art of the flip-flop takes time and practice for beginners. You must be able to support your own body weight with your hands when your body is inverted or turned upside down.  You have to learn to trust your own strength.  Most importantly, you must be committed to the tumble ~ to the backward, upside-down motion ~ and follow through to the end. Once the thrust and release occurs, the body naturally responds with a skilled movement that looks effortless.

Somewhere along life's journey, I mastered the flip-flop. I learned to have faith and confidence in my ability to support myself, even when my life was upside-down.  I learned to trust my own strength and flexibility, and despite evidence that may point to the contrary, I maintained awareness and control throughout life's tumbles.  I soon became able to spring forward and surrender in one synchronous motion.  At times, I have managed to flip-flop at almost light speed by a single observation.

Many people may never be required to include the flip-flop as part of their life's routine; but, I am sure that those people who have perfected the fine art of the flip-flop land on their feet every time.

Dianne ; )